BlackBerry erosion picks up steamA new filing from BlackBerry Ltd. highlights how the erosion of its once-mighty business is spreading to areas that had still been strong even as it declined elsewhere.

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The embattled smartphone maker, now in the midst of an auction for all or part of its operations, also said it expected fat restructuring charges.

Last Friday, BlackBerry posted a second-quarter loss of almost $1-billion, taking a massive hit on inventory of its new Z10 models.

In new documents filed yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, BlackBerry said it also expects a hit of $400-million in restructuring charges as it begins to slash 40 per cent of its work force and take a knife to operating expenses. The comments are similar to those in a lengthy earnings document posted on BlackBerry's website.

The company also plans a retreat from the consumer market to focus on business customers, where it first made its mark when it ruled the industry.

In the SEC documents, BlackBerry paints a fascinating picture of its rise and fall since its founding in Waterloo, Ont., in 1984, describing how it "revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry solution in 1999."

Now, though, it's suffering in the key U.S. market, and its troubles are spreading globally, eating into what had still been an area of strength.

"The smartphone market is maturing, resulting in lower growth rates, particularly in the high-end segment of the market," BlackBerry said in its regulatory document.

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"The company has experienced a decline in demand for its products and in its overall market share," it added in the filing.

"The intense competition impacting the company's financial and operation results that previously affected demand in the United States market is now being experienced globally, including in international markets where the company has historically experienced rapid growth."

BlackBerry's rivals are now jumping into those global markets with high-end wireless devices and with "lower end Android-based devices that compete with the company's lower cost devices."

The company also talks about the growing number of apps available on competing systems.

"The decline can also be attributed to consumer preferences for devices with access to the broadest number of applications, such as those available in the iOS and Android environments," it said.

BlackBerry was referring there to the operating system for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and for devices running Google Inc.'s wildly popular Android.

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It also noted a "continued decline" in services revenues.

Analyst Steven Li of Raymond James noted today that services revenue is now down 28 per cent from a year ago, and is projected to decline by a further 12 per cent in the third quarter, a greater fall than he had projected.

Around the world, BlackBerry cited declines in revenue of $454-million in North America, largely because of the United States, $401-million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, $324-million in Latin America, and $109-million in the Asia Pacific region.

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. has struck a tentative deal to lead a consortium that would acquire BlackBerry for $4.7-billion, after several weeks of due diligence that end in early November.

Markets, however, question whether the deal will be done, at least at the proposed $9 a share, which is why BlackBerry's stock price is far below that figure.

Why members of Congress are paidThere's a nifty amendment to the U.S. Constitution that effectively says you can shut down your business and still get paid. Unlike the people you're throwing out of work. If you're one of the 533 members of Congress.

Which begs the question: How might the shutdown of Washington have unfolded in the absence of the 27th Amendment?

The amendment says this: "No law, varying the compensation for the services of Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened."

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What it means is that members of Congress can't not be paid the $174,000 (U.S.) salary due those who aren't leaders. Nor can they set their pay.

It's ironic because the amendment was meant to block the members from hiking their own salaries before an election.

It dates back to the late 1700s, though wasn't ratified, and thus not part of the Constitution, until 1992.

And what's happening now in Washington doesn't sit well with some of the members themselves.

"Basically the only people who get paid in a shutdown are members of Congress, and that is irresponsible," she added, saying she's going to give back the money.

And she's not alone.

About 65 lawmakers from both parties say they'll either donate the money to charity or refuse to be paid during the shutdown.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Washington Democrat, for example, issued a statement yesterday pledging to pay back the money.

"For as long as this unnecessary shutdown occurs, hundreds of thousands of public servants will be working without pay," Ms. DelBene said.

"When sequestration began earlier this year, I returned 8.2 per cent of my salary back to the Treasury, and for the duration of this shutdown, I will return the remainder of my personal salary as well."

(Speaker John Boehner, the Ohio Republican who is one of the main players in this drama, earns almost $225,000.)

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